It is not a business, a political party, an advertising campaign or a brand. Nor is it for sale.

Occupy Wall Street is party-less, leaderless, by the people, and for the people. We welcome with open arms anyone who, in good faith, acts to end corruption and corporate influence in government and who lawfully petitions their government for a redress of grievances. We provide a forum of peaceful assembly for individuals to engage in participatory, as opposed to partisan, governance and debate.

As the world continues to be galvanized by this movement, we wish to clarify that Occupy Wall Street is not and has never been affiliated with any established political party, candidate or organization. Our only affiliation is with the people who make up the economic 99%, those who have been defrauded of their democratic rights and property by members of the 1% and by their government representatives. We have peaceably assembled to re-establish the common people as the authentic source of power in democratic societies.

Many occupation sites have been assembled, further are to convene, and while each expresses itself uniquely we are all united by a set of principles and practices that actively challenge the existing structures of corporate rule. This pretentious rule undermines the well-being of human and non-human Nature in the name of profit and wields unrivaled power against the dissent of the governed. We have come together with diverse views, backgrounds, and ideas, with the recognition that if elected officials are unwilling to represent us, we will directly represent ourselves.

The people who are working together to create this movement are its sole and mutual caretakers. Anyone can join it. And if you yourself have chosen to devote resources to building this movement, especially your time and labor, then it is yours.

If you work within the principles of democracy, freedom, horizontal organization, participation, inclusiveness, transparency, autonomy, agency, humanization, solidarity, emancipation, and sustainability, then it is yours.

If you have put your body at risk to occupy a site, or are working tirelessly in an occupation working group, or doing everything you can to spread this message to your friends both virtual and actual, then it is yours.

If you are struggling to understand how to support this movement but are unable to shape it in person, it still needs you. The most meaningful thing that you can do is to give of yourself:

If you are a writer, tell the world that you support our pushback against inequalities of wealth and power.

If you are a musician or artist, share your gifts by channeling the spirit of this movement.

If you are a union, incorporate these themes in your discourse and actions.

If you are in the non-profit sector, take the opportunity to speak out while people are eagerly listening, but

SPEAK WITH US, NOT FOR US.

Our movement values collective resources, dignity, integrity, and autonomy above money. We recognize the potential for conflicts of interest inherent to the receiving of donated money. However, if you’d like to donate to our movement anonymously, with the understanding that there are no strings attached, we welcome your support.

Any individual or organization is welcome to ally with us if they are equally and genuinely inspired to share our principles. Doing so may mean questioning your own institutional frameworks of work, labor, and hierarchy and integrating our principles into your way of working. Be courageous. Experiment.

Symbols are tools of communication, and misrepresenting or exploiting the movement in ways that reinforce existing systems of division, of partisanship and sectarianism will be seen as an attack on the movement itself. Any individual or organization that seeks to misuse the name, symbols, or spirit of this movement in its business or media campaigns will be met with immediate retaliation and condemnation using our extensive social media channels. This is not a declaration of intent but an explicit assessment by which retribution will unfold as a natural result of the movement’s organic function.

We have a direct democratic process that allows for a profusion of voices to be heard. Any statement or declaration not released through the general assembly, made public online at www.nycga.net, should be considered suspect, independent of our movement, and not reflective of the will or sentiment of the people.

We are a people’s movement. We stand in solidarity. We are Occupy Wall Street.